Organiser assembly for holding items

ABSTRACT

The assembly comprises a plurality of hollow tubular or similarly shaped members, having an open end, and support means adapted to support the tubular or similarly shaped members in a space or on a surface of a display or storage unit. The tubular or similarly shaped members are each configured to hold a folded or rolled item in their hollow and arranged so that a person can insert folded or rolled items into the tubular or similarly shaped members through their open end for holding therein and selectively remove there from any of the folded or rolled items held in the tubular or similarly shaped members. Preferably, said tubular or similarly shaped members are formed with different hollow dimensions and arranged into groups according to their hollow dimensions.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

THIS INVENTION relates to an organiser assembly for holding items, andin particular but not limited thereto the assembly is mountable in aspace or on a surface of a storage or display apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Items such as clothes and towels are generally stored on shelves or indrawers. The clothes and towels are usually ironed and/or folded neatlyand stacked orderly in vertical piles on the shelves or in the drawers.When a person needs to pick one of such items, it is inevitable that thepile where the item is picked from is disturbed. At times, neighboringpiles would also be disturbed. The disturbance causes the disturbeditems to be partly or fully unfolded and the corresponding pile tobecome unorderly.

The applicant has noted that at home young children continually getthemselves into trouble. Their parent or parents would iron and foldtheir clothes and stack them neatly in piles in their drawers or onshelves in their bedrooms. When searching for an item of clothing,children when pulling out a selected piece of clothing would invariablyundo all the hard work of the parent or parents. The result is thatafter they have taken away a chosen item of clothing, they wouldinvariably leave behind an untidy mess. This leads to continuousfrustration within the family.

Most young children cause such a mess because of a variety of reasonsi.e. they are in a rush or it may be that their motor skills at an earlyage are still developing. The same can also be said of the elderly atthe other end of the age spectrum. Elderly people too have problems inpicking a certain item of clothing from a pile of clothes that havealready been neatly ironed or folded. This could lead to unnecessaryfrustration and extra work in tidying up; not only for themselves butalso for care givers.

Furthering our scope for this invention, the same above frustrations anddifficulties can be experienced by people who are physicallyhandicapped.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an organiserassembly to alleviate or to at least reduce to a certain level one ormore of the prior art disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect therefore the present invention resides in an organiserassembly for holding foldable items. The assembly comprises a pluralityof hollow tubular or similarly shaped members, having an open end, andsupport means adapted to support the tubular or similarly shaped membersin a space or on a surface of a display or storage unit. The tubular orsimilarly shaped members are each configured to hold a folded or rolleditem in their hollow and arranged so that a person can insert folded orrolled items into the tubular or similarly shaped members through theiropen end for holding therein and selectively remove there from any ofthe folded or rolled items held in the tubular or similarly shapedmembers.

Preferably, said tubular or similarly shaped members are formed withdifferent hollow dimensions and arranged into groups according to theirhollow dimensions.

The storage unit may be a wardrobe, a cabinet or a shelving unit. Thedisplay unit may be a display table, a show case or a display shelf.

The support means may be walls and/or partitions and/or shelves of saiddisplay or storage unit. It is preferred said support means includes oneor more support panels adapted to be fixed in said space or to saidsurface. Each said panel is formed with apertures sized to supportindividual tubular or similarly shaped members therein.

The organiser assembly according to the present invention makes it easyfor children to find any foldable item such as clothing at a glance(visual management). The assembly enables them to pull out the item theywant without messing up all the other items in the storage or displayunit.

The assembly of the present invention also makes it easier for childrento keep their own rooms tidy (low maintenance), and reduces the stresslevel parents are enduring. There would be no more hidden disaster areasin drawers. Children would be happier because they are able to tidytheir rooms a lot quicker. Younger children (8 year old boy and 5 yeargirl old) who do not have the necessary motor skill levels to foldclothes neatly, could easily roll their clothes and put them into thetubular or similar shaped members.

The assembly of the present invention would also provide great benefitto the elderly, who with decreasing motor skills, also struggle tostore/retrieve clothes, bath towels etc.

The applicant has also noted that in many low cost clothing stores,similar items are folded and arranged in stacked piles on tables and/orshelves. When customers take an item from a pile, some items in thispile are inevitably disturbed. Shop attendants need to spendconsiderable time re-folding the disturbed items and re-arranging theminto orderly stacks. Samples of clothing could be hung in a wardrobetype unit to one side for customer fitting, while the tubular orsimilarly shaped members organiser assembly invention hold thoseclothing for sale organised in their various sizes.

The assembly of the present invention could also be effectively utilisedin hospitals, hotels and like institutions.

In another aspect therefore the present invention resides in a storageunit having one or more organiser assemblies as hereinbefore described.

In a further aspect therefore the present invention resides in a displayunit having one or more organiser assemblies as hereinbefore described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the present invention can be readily understood and putinto practical effect the description will hereinafter refer to theaccompanying drawings which will illustrate non limiting embodiments ofthe present invention and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial cut-away perspective view of a storage unit havingan embodiment of the organiser assembly according to the presentinvention;

FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 is an exploded partial perspective view of theassembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a wardrobe having another embodiment ofthe organiser assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a towel storage unit having a furtherembodiment of the organiser assembly according to the present invention;and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a shelf unit having yet another furtherembodiment of the organiser assembly according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIG. 1, there is shown anembodiment of the organiser assembly 10 according to the presentinvention arranged in the form of a combination storage unit 100. Thestorage unit 100 has a clothes hanging section 102 with a suspended rod104 in its hanging space 106, a first shelving section 107 and a secondshelving section 108. The second shelving section has partitions 110dividing the shelf section into three shelving zones 112.

The assembly 10 is arranged in the first shelving section 107 and it hasa set of stand alone hollow tubular or similar like members 12 in theform of tubes Each tubular or similar like member 12 has an open end 13.The tubular or similar like member 12 in this embodiment are of the samesize. But it is understood that the tubular or similar like members 12can have varying sizes or shapes to accommodate different size/type ofitems such as clothing and towels. These tubular or similar like members12 are held in place by a solid support panel 14 (see FIG. 2) at thefront and another solid support panel (not shown) at the back of thefirst shelving section 107. Each support panel is formed with apertures16 pre-cut into them to hold the tubular or similar like members 12 inplace.

This solid support panel 14 (FIG. 2) may be made of different materiali.e. wood, plastic/resin type moulding, or any metal material. Thesupport panel 14 can also be of varying thickness (FIG. 3), this beingdependent on the design. The solid support panel 14 may be of varyingshapes: triangular, square, rectangular, pentagon, hexagonal, octagonal(FIG. 4); and any other polygon shape that may also be suited to beingutilised in the design.

The support panel is deliberately solid around the various apertures toensure rubbish; dust and/or foreign material do not accumulate betweenthe tubular or similar like members.

The pre-cut apertures 16 may also be of varying shapes: triangular,square, rectangular, pentagon, hexagonal, octagonal; and any otherpolygon shape that may be suited to the shape of the tubes beingutilised in the design. (FIGS. 2, 3, and 4) Or it may be a mixture ofthese shapes and in varying arrangement according to the tubular orsimilar like members used. The pre-cut apertures 16 may also be ofvarying sizes, dependent on the type/size of clothing it is to house.These pre-cut apertures 16 may have the smaller sizes at the top of thesupport panel 14, medium size apertures 16 in the middle and larger sizeaperture 16 at the bottom. (FIG. 3) This arrangement may also beinverted with the larger apertures 16 at the top of the support panel 14and the smaller aperture 16 at the bottom, again dependent on thedesign. Or the sizes of the aperture 16 may be a mixture in theirarrangement.

In use, clothes 18 are rolled into a cylindrical shape and placed intothe tubular or similar like members 12. One item of clothing per tubularmember.

The applicant's research by measuring a number of items of rolled commonclothing shows that tubular members of 15 cm diameter can hold mostcommon clothing items. For example, the following clothing items wererolled into a cylindrical shape and measured:

-   -   Jeans and cargo pants type shorts;    -   Track suit pants;    -   Jerseys/hoodies        (All of the above fit into a tube of 15 cm diameter)    -   T-shirts, shirts/blouses, singlets        (All of the above fit into a tube of 12 cm in diameter)

The first shelving section 107 also has two wire baskets 20: one forunderwear and the other for socks, scarves etc. The gaps in the wirebaskets provide the user opportunity to visually check the items withoutopening the baskets. A netting 114 (nylon or light aluminium lattice) isplaced across the back of the first shelving section 107 to preventclothing items 18 slipping through. The netting 114 also preventsdust/rubbish or foreign material building up in the tubes, as well asenabling light to enter the tubes from the back for inspection purposes.This netting maybe removed for cleaning purposes.

The shelving zones 112 are 20 cm high and are provided for storage ofshoes. A tall boy (not shown) at one end may also be attached to hangformal, outing wear.

The assembly 10 could be made out of plastic moulding for a certainsegment of the market. Alternatively, the assembly 10 could be built outof a combination of wood i.e. mahogany, teak; for the panels and light,silver aluminium tubes. A mirror could be attached above the assembly10.

FIG. 5 shows a wardrobe/cupboard unit 120 having another embodiment ofthe organiser assembly 10 according to the present invention. This showsthat units of the organiser assembly 10 can be designed to fit intoexisting shelving

FIG. 6 shows a towel storage unit 130 formed of a boxed shape container132 and another embodiment of the organiser assembly 10 according to thepresent invention. The container 132 is fixed to a wall surface by meansof support brackets 134. This could be used in hotels and hospitals.

Shown in FIG. 7 is a wall unit 140 having a first shelving section 107and a second shelving section 108. The first shelving section 107 has anorganiser assembly 10 according to the present invention.

The assembly 10 provides:

-   -   Visual management—finding items of clothing quickly and        efficiently.    -   Low maintenance—users i.e. children, find it easier to put their        clothes away, parents/carers can easily monitor the tidiness of        a room. Utility in various other applications i.e. to store bath        towels, linen.    -   Utility in department stores, where large numbers of clothing        are put out for display on tables—the assembly would ensure less        time by store workers on tidying piles of clothes and more        effort placed on making sales.    -   The assembly could be utilised in organisations that store vast        numbers of linen, towels, or, other similar items i.e. hotels,        motels, hospitals.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of thepresent invention, many variations and modifications thereto will beapparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the broadambit and scope of the invention as herein set forth in the followingclaims.

1. In one aspect therefore the present invention resides in an organiserassembly for holding foldable items.
 2. The assembly comprises aplurality of hollow tubular or similarly shaped members, having an openend, and support means adapted to support the tubular or similar shapedmembers in a space or on a surface of a display or storage unit.
 3. Thetubular or similarly shaped members are each configured to hold a foldedor rolled item in their hollow and arranged so that a person can insertfolded or rolled items into the tubular or similarly shaped membersthrough their open end for holding therein and selectively remove therefrom any of the folded or rolled items held in the tubular members. 4.Preferably, said tubular or similarly shaped members are formed withdifferent hollow dimensions and arranged into groups according to theirhollow dimensions.
 5. The storage unit may be a wardrobe, a cabinet or ashelving unit. The display unit may be a display table, a show case or adisplay shelf. In another aspect therefore the present invention residesin a storage unit having one or more organiser assemblies ashereinbefore described.
 6. The support means may be walls and/orpartitions and/or shelves of said display or storage unit. It ispreferred said support means includes one or more support panels adaptedto be fixed in said space or to said surface.
 7. These tubular orsimilarly shaped members are held in place by a solid support panel atthe front and another solid support panel at the back of the firstshelving section.
 8. Each of these support panels, as described in 7above, is formed with apertures pre-cut into them to hold the tubularmembers in place.
 9. This solid support panel may be made of differentmaterial i.e. wood, plastic/resin type moulding, or any metal material.10. The support panel can also be of varying thickness, this beingdependent on the design.
 11. The solid support panel may be of varyingshapes: triangular, square, rectangular, pentagon, hexagonal, octagonal;and any other polygon shape that may also be suited to being utilised inthe design.
 12. The support panel is deliberately solid around thepre-cut apertures to ensure rubbish, dust or any other foreign materialdo not get between the tubular or similar shaped members.
 13. Thepre-cut apertures contained within the solid support panel may also beof varying shapes: triangular, square, rectangular, pentagon, hexagonal,octagonal; and any other polygon shape that may be suited to the shapeof the tubes being utilised in the design. Or it may be a mixture ofthese shapes and in varying arrangement according to the tubular membersused.
 14. The pre-cut apertures may also be of varying sizes, dependenton the size of the tubular or similar shaped members it has to hold inplace. These pre-cut apertures may have the smaller sizes at the top ofthe support panel medium size apertures in the middle and larger sizeaperture at the bottom. This arrangement may also be inverted with thelarger apertures at the top of the support panel and the smallerapertures at the bottom, again dependent on the design and/or tubular orsimilar shaped members it has to hold in place. Or the sizes of theaperture may be a mixture in their arrangement.
 15. The rear supportpanel of this assembly as described above may be covered with a nettingtype material which will prevent the entry of foreign material from therear of the tubular or similar shaped members, but allowing a degree oflight in.
 16. The organiser assembly also has two wire baskets: one forunderwear and the other for socks, scarves etc. The gaps in the wirebaskets provide the user opportunity to visually check the items withoutopening the baskets.